Ethanol is by far the most widely produced renewable fuel in the United States and is contained in over 90% of the gasoline sold in the US.
The majority of the ethanol in the US is made from corn, but it also can be produced from other feedstocks.
The major steps in the dry mill process include milling (feedstock passes through a hammer mill, which grinds it into a fine powder), fermentation (enzymes, water and yeast are added to the mash, which is continually agitated and cooled until the ethanol concentration has been maximized), distillation (the fermented mash is pumped to the continuous flow, multi-column distillation system where the ethanol is removed from the solids and the water) and dehydration (alcohol is then dehydrated to 200 proof and the 200 proof alcohol is then pumped to a finished product tank).
After the ethanol is removed, the residue corn solids may be condensed and fed as is or dried to produce distillers dried grains with or without solubles (which may be collectively referred to as DDGS), a nutritious animal feed.
A byproduct of the above method includes toxins, which are undesirable in both the ethanol and DDGS. Furthermore, toxins that are found in the corn (or other feedstuff) is concentrated in the residue corn solids (such as DDGS) making it a problem to use in animal feeds.
Citation or identification of any document in this application is not an admission that such document is available as prior art to the present invention.